PURPOSEFUL RECRUITMENT AND LONG-TERM INVESTMENT
Securing competent lawyers is an ongoing project. During the last three years alone, the team has recruited several new partners from law firms such as Wikborg Rein, Thommessen, and Wiersholm, and from in-house positions in Evry and Nasdaq.
- We are very happy about Vidar Løhre, Henrik Braavold Johansen, Knut Martinsen, Per Kristian Ramsland, Susanne Munch Thore, Karl Rosèn and Odd-Harald Wasenden joining our team. Together, they possess a broad range of skills that position us very well for further growth, informs Håvard Sandnes , managing partner in Arntzen de Besche.
- It is pleasing to see such strong results from the department. The strengthening of M&A and Capital Markets has been a priority to us, he says.
In tandem with the increase in turnover, the Capital Markets team, currently comprising 7 partners and 23 lawyers, is being expanded. With office locations in Oslo, Stavanger and Trondheim, the team is well represented nationally, enabling it to combine local knowledge with legal special expertise.
SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN TURNOVER
The significant growth is largely a result of escalated demand from abroad, as well as Norwegian companies and financial institutions, which has given the team increasingly more complex cases to work with.
- We receive an increasing number of new assignments from abroad, while also increasing our market share among Norwegian players, which is a win-win for the firm, says Trond Kildal, head of the Banking and Financing Law department. He works with the debt side of the capital market in particular, and is frequently involved, either on the lender side or on the company side, when major financing assignments are to be placed in the Norwegian capital market.
Financing partner and colleague Vidar Løhre agrees and elaborates:
- For several years, the Norwegian capital market has been very popular among foreign players seeking favourable channels for financing. A strong network in the Nordic region, as well as globally, brings us close to the market and provides access points not available to every law firm.
CUSTOMISED TEAMS FOR COMPLEX CASES
With a considerable demand from both the equity market and the debt capital market, the team has assisted in several of the biggest and most prolific cases in connection with emissions, public offerings, issue of bond loans, etc.
- We are now a well-composed team with considerable expertise on capital markets. This has brought us cases with a higher level of complexity and greater value, that have also required a broad range of skills and customised teams, informs partner Per Kristian Ramsland.
- With all of the assignments, we put together teams that possess the specialist and industry expertise required to solve the assignment in a value-creating manner, adds partner Jon Martin Atkinson.
The team is currently working with major clients in oil and gas, aquaculture and fishing, the food and service industry, technology, property and transport, among other sectors.
GREATER ATTENTION TO FINANCIAL REGULATION AND COMPLIANCE
Listed companies face increasingly strict requirements and regulations from both Norwegian authorities and the EU. The regulations are both extensive and in a constant state of flux.
- In recent years, the introduction of new regulations, such as the EUs new regulations on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, and on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector, has constituted a game-changer for several industries and enterprises. Consequently, we have received more enquiries regarding advice on how to navigate in this landscape, states partner Susanne Munch Thore.
Simultaneously, the financial sector has been designated a key sector in the work to achieve national, regional and international sustainability goals. This has contributed to further regulations and reporting requirements regarding, for example, sustainability and anti-money laundering, which also promote a higher level of case complexity in the sector.
- Several of our lawyers have experience from banking and financial institutions and regulatory authorities, enabling them to contribute with different perspectives and ensure a good overview of a case, informs partner Karl Rosén, one of Norway’s leading lawyers within financial regulation.
SKILLED PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS KEY
Arntzen de Besche has developed a dedicated case model in order to ensure an appropriate use of time and resources. A course in project management, both in theory and practice, is central to the model and means that clients can expect skilled management of deliveries.
- Skilled project management is a key element in any transaction and our case model therefore constitutes an important tool for allocating appropriate resources to various parts of the transaction and keeping track of deadlines and costs in processes that span longer periods, says partner Henrik Braavold Johansen.
Good case management has proven useful in an increasingly busy working day. In particular following Euronext Growth’s acquisition of the Oslo Stock Exchange (Oslo Børs) in 2019, activity in the capital market has been high.
With an extensive knowledge of the industry and a network promoting the creation of lasting value, this team has both a solid growth in turnover and an increasingly strong recognition in the market among its achievements. We look forward to seeing what’s next!
